


Barnes-Rogers

by Nerdy_Sunflower918



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bisexual Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Captain America Steve Rogers, Captain America Steve Rogers/Modern Bucky Barnes, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Gay Bucky Barnes, Hydra (Marvel), Marvel Universe, Post-HYDRA Reveal, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Pre-Hydra in SHIELD Reveal (Marvel), Protective Steve Rogers, SHIELD, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:40:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27025201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdy_Sunflower918/pseuds/Nerdy_Sunflower918
Summary: Emma is a 7-year old girl who lives in a run down convenience store in Brooklyn. The only problem is she doesn’t exactly have an actual parent. The man in the mask, as she calls him, stops by from time to time and drops off food and water.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Kudos: 21





	1. Brooklyn

**Author's Note:**

> This is kinda a short chapter, Chapter 2 will probably be up by the end of the week. If you’re here from TikTok, then hi! If not, still, hi! I’m super proud of Emma and her storyline and how well-developed she is. Her storyline is also still running on my TikTok (same username) if you want to check that out!

Chapter 1  
2009  
Brooklyn,  
Abandoned Convenience Store, Eden Road  
There was a knock on the door. Two knocks. Pause. Four Knocks. He was back. The man in the mask. The door opened slowly, quietly. The bell didn’t ring. He had grabbed it before it could make a sound. The door closed. Footsteps could be heard throughout the run down store, if you listened close. Tap, tap, tap, tap. A perfect pattern. As always. A gun clattered to the floor. I jumped. He hadn’t been back for 7 strokes, maybe more. I glanced at the chalk board that kept track of the strokes. After squinting in the darkness, I could see that there were 8 of them. So he hadn’t been back for 8 strokes. It was a long time, but not too long. More footsteps. He was looking for me. I wasn’t sure which one he was right now. Don’t move don’t move don’tmovedon’tmove-  
“Emma?” I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. He wasn’t in violent mode.  
“I’m here,” I erased the strokes and crawled out from the fort I had made with old boxes. When I stood up, I could see the whole store. We had spent hours during the night rearranging the abandoned convenience so I could see whoever walked in. It was safer that way. If someone found me again, I could run.  
My eyes found the outline of him in the dark. The gun was still on the floor. In his hand was a bag. Supplies. Food and water. I looked back at him. He dropped the bag. It hit the ground with a thump. I headed towards the bag to get it.  
He turned and walked out.  
I wasn’t surprised; that’s what he always did. Come in, drop the bag, and walk out. During the day I would see other men with their daughters. The men would smile at them, hug them, give them things. But the things they gave them were never bags of food. As I ate a bit of what was in the bag, saving some for later, I wondered why they never gave them supplies. But the girls always seemed so happy to receive something. They’d squeal and hug the man, and say “thank you”. The daughters would call the men “Dad” or “Papa”. I guess a dad was a man who took care of you while you were still young.  
And in the dark, eating food that was brought to me, I said to myself, “Then that must make the man in the mask my dad.”  
End of Chapter 1


	2. Break-in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma is running. Away from what’s behind her, because if it catches her... the results could be deadly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m really cutting it close on this one! But, as I promised on my TikTok, I’m posting on Sunday! This is another short chapter. I swear they all won’t be this short! I just really like cliffhangers. Sorry. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 2  
2009  
Brooklyn,  
Abandoned Convenience Store, Eden Road  
I was running.  
I didn’t know where, but I was. I had too.  
He was going to catch me.  
I pushed myself to run faster. My heart was pounding in my ears. He could probably hear it, it was so loud. The thought scared me; so I ran faster. Farther.  
Is he still behind me?  
I looked back.  
That was a mistake.  
He was right there. I ran faster. Not even bothering to keep track of where I was going and never looking back. I could still hear his footsteps. Don’t stop. Run. Run faster. Farther. Randomize the turns. The footsteps stopped, and a gunshot rang out. I ducked. Looked back again. He was closer this time. A few feet away from me.  
“You’re going to die,” A voice inside me said.  
Not today.  
I ran. Harder than I’d ever run before. My chest started to hurt. My breaths got shorter. My feet hit the ground louder. I pushed myself to the limit. I’m not dying today.  
I turned down an alley, throwing boxes, garbage cans, anything I could get my hands on behind me. The alley turned left.  
No  
Right into a dead end.  
NO!  
A wire wrapped around my legs. I flew backward and landed on my chest. Turning onto my back, I pulled at the wire, desperately trying to get it off my legs. The metal arm glinted in the moonlight. He was getting closer, and the wire wouldn’t budge. I scrambled backwards, using my arms to hold myself off the ground and my feet to push away from him. But there was nowhere to go. He kept walking towards me. I started crying. This was never what happened. When he was in violent mode, he had never chased me, had never done anything like this. He grabbed my arm. I screamed.  
My eyes shot open.  
I stopped screaming.  
Instead I started crying. I pulled the thin blanket closer around my body and squeezed my eyes shut as tight as I could. Noises were coming from outside the store. Lots of yelling and shouting. A lot of people, at least five or more. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but someone was getting hurt.  
Is he coming to get me? What if he’s here now? What if someone heard me? Am I going to-  
I stopped the thought before it could finish. That wasn’t going to happen. I was just scared.  
Knowing that didn’t really help.  
I cried harder, trying not to listen to the commotion outside. The yelling got louder and I slammed my hands over my ears. My breath wouldn’t stay in my mouth for more than a second. The room was spinning and I couldn’t see properly. I felt like I was going to explode and fall apart at the same time if I couldn’t get this under control.  
Crash!  
Someone flew through the side window and landed ten feet away from me. I clamped my hand over my mouth, trying to stifle my crying. I had to leave. They groaned, and stood up. The person had a masculine build, and carried a round disk. Their outfit was a shade of blue. Pressing a finger to their ear, they said:  
“I’m on Eden road, cleanup crew,” He turned and looked around the store, then sighed. I moved to leave, then decided against it when another person came in through the window, this time more gently. This one had a more feminine build, and was wearing mainly a dark color. She also looked around.  
“Steve,” She said.  
“Hm?” So his name was Steve.  
“This place was emptied years ago, right?”  
“Yeah, why?”  
“There’s dust everywhere. But,” She pointed to the door, “There’s a trail from the door,” The woman walked towards me. I froze. “To there,” She was pointing to just in front of the counter. Right where I had stood last night, when the man in the mask had brought food. The other man tensed up.  
“Is someone here?” The woman pointed to another spot on the floor.  
“There’s more tracks that go around the counter. Someone might still be here,” I could hear footsteps coming around the counter. So I made a split second decision. The blanket flew off. I threw myself forwards and ran for the window.  
Before I got to my best chance at escaping, Steve caught me in his arms.  
“Woah woah, hey; it’s okay!” It wasn’t okay; it would never be okay if I didn’t get out. I put my hands on his arm and pushed as hard as I could. He didn’t budge. I started crying again. He wouldn’t let go! I thrashed around even more as Steve knelt down to my level and pulled me into his arms, pressing my head into his shoulder. I sobbed. I didn’t know what to do anymore. I just wanted everything to stop hurting so much. I wanted to be like one of the girls on the street, with a full belly and a smile on my face. I wanted to be able to call the man in the mask “dad” like they did to their fathers. I wanted to know that he would come back with food, instead of having nightmares about when he came back in violent mode. I wanted to live somewhere else, without having to worry about being seen, and running when I was. I wanted to be anybody but who I was.  
I realized I wasn’t crying anymore. I still didn’t feel good, my breath wouldn’t slow. I closed my eyes more gently, clutching Steve’s harsh shirt. Maybe going with them wouldn’t be so bad. When I pulled out of the tightness, I saw the man’s face move to confusion.  
“Nat, come see her,” The woman walked over. I looked at her, confused as to why he was so intrigued in me.  
“What is it?”  
“She looks so much like him”  
“Him who?” The man took a shaky breath.  
“Bucky,” He smiled. I tilted my head, and smiled back.

End of Chapter 2


	3. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five Years Later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I think I’m going to try to post every Friday. Also, I’m aware this chapter is also short. Again, I’m sorry. That’s pretty much it. Enjoy!

Chapter 3  
5:23 am  
2014  
Delmar Apartments, Brooklyn

Five.

Years.

Later.

“Emma?” A light flicked on in front of me.

I looked up. Steve was standing in the doorway of his room, one hand on the trim, squinting at me. “What are you doing up this early?” Clearly I had woken him up, as he was still in pajamas. I sighed, pausing the movie on the tv in front of me. 

“Couldn’t sleep,” I said. He dropped his hand and leaned on the doorframe. 

“Nightmares?”

“Yeah,” I said quietly. He flicked the light off in his room and walked over, taking a seat on the old fashioned couch next to me. Steve smirked when he saw what I was watching. 

“Return of the Jedi?” I mocked offense. 

“Hey, you got a head start on them! I had to catch up,” I crossed my arms and kept watching. About 20 minutes later, I was crying like a baby over the end of the movie. Looking over, I could see that Steve’s eyes were glistening as well. I laughed just a little. 

“That makes two of us,” I said to him through deep breaths. He smiled, wiped his eyes, and looked at his watch. Sighing, he said:

“I gotta do my workout,” Steve got up off the couch. “And you need to go to bed for another hour!” He called from another room. You could hear the smile in his voice. I rolled my eyes. He knew I wasn’t going to be able to sleep after a nightmare. I could barely sleep even when I didn’t have nightmares. Still, the man could try. My mind wandered back into it, like a rat to a cheese trap. It had been the same ever since that day in the store. I was being chased. The man in the mask caught up to me. I scream, and then I wake up. Nothing new. Natasha had once recommended I keep a dream journal, just to see. For a week, I recorded the nightmares in a book. And for a week, nothing ever changed. 

I shivered, pulling myself back into reality. Thinking back never changed anything. I could only move forward. I looked around for something to take my mind off it. My gaze landed on Steve’s sketchbook. He had shown it to me, once or twice. It never ceased to amaze me. I heard the water running in the bathroom, so he wouldn’t be back for at least 5 minutes. I picked up the drawing pad, and opened it up. Flipping through, you could see a lot of his old life. The army, Peggy, Brooklyn, an apartment, those were all consistent. But there was one thing that was there more than anything. 

And that was Bucky. 

Apparently, he was Steve’s friend from the 1940’s, who died on a mission. I could never get him to go into details. But when he did talk about Bucky, it made me think that maybe they were more than friends. Or wanted to be, anyway. He had so many stories, a lot of which involved Steve getting beat up. And probably a lot more. Bucky was a touchy subject for Steve. I could tell they were very close, especially when I saw how many drawings there were of him. 

One thing did confuse me though. For some reason that I could never figure out, Bucky looked familiar to me.

Especially around the eyes. 

It always got me thinking. Even if I looked at the photo for hours, I could never figure it out. I didn’t remember ever meeting someone who looked like that. Why had Steve said that I looked like him? Why did he feel so familiar? I definitely hadn’t met someone recently, I think I would remember. So if it was no one from 2009 forwards, then who was it? 

I thought back to when I lived in the convenience store. Not a lot happened for most of my time there, so eventually it all starts to blend together. But did I ever meet someone who looked like Bucky? Did I ever meet someone, period? No one that I could remember. The only person who I did meet was the man in the mask, and he…… 

Wait.

No. 

That’s impossible. 

I swiftly flipped through the sketchbook, finding a picture of Bucky. Then I scrambled to grab something, anything I could, landing on the tv remote. I scoffed. It wasn’t big enough. I grabbed a book, and shoved it onto the drawing just above the nose. Once I took a good look at it, I gasped. 

“This can’t be real,” I whispered. Because it wasn’t supposed to be. It completely defied the laws of nature. There shouldn’t be any proof. And yet, there was the proof, sitting right in front of me. I still had a hard time wrapping my head around it.

Bucky looked exactly like the man in the mask. 

That couldn’t be true. 

Except it was. 

Footsteps were approaching the living room. I quickly put the book back on the side table and closed the sketchbook. When Steve walked in, I was laying down on the couch, faking my best sleep. The footsteps stopped. I slowed my breathing, evened it, and hoped he didn’t figure it out. After what felt like forever, he finally walked away. I took in a gulp of air. How was I supposed to explain this to him? Would he even believe me? 

What if he did believe me?

What then?

End of Chapter 3


	4. The Murder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma is waiting for Steve to get back from a mission, and thinking about what to do with her small problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’M SO SORRY! I wasn’t feeling the best last week, so this is a week late. I am releasing it a day before Friday because I feel bad. I hope the next chapter won’t be as late. Enjoy!

Chapter 4  
11:04 pm  
2014  
S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion, Classified

I was chilling in the S.H.I.E.L.D. room, doing as you do in waiting rooms and contemplating when and if I should tell Steve that his best friend might be alive and running around as a man in a mask with a metal arm. Technically, I wasn’t supposed to be here, but I’d snuck in so many times that Fury had given up and assigned me a badge that gave me unlimited access to all the level one rooms and files. Usually I sat in the waiting room reading. Aside from the fact that I got asked at least three times a day whether I was supposed to be here, it was pretty cool. 

Along with contemplating my doom, I was also waiting for Steve to get back from his mission and catching up on my book. They had been gone for a few hours now, which had allowed me to avoid my problem. But I was going to have to tell him sometime. I just wasn’t sure when. 

Just then, a certain someone in blue and white sped by me. 

“Hey Steve!” I said. “Where’re you going?” 

“Fury’s office. I need to talk to him about something,”

“O-oook.” He disappeared around a corner, and I gratefully went back to reading Son of Neptune. 

~~~~~~~15 minutes later~~~~~~~

My phone let out a small beep, and vibrated in my back pocket. I leaned forward and pulled it out. Nat had texted me. 

Where’d Steve go? He seemed upset after the mission. 

He had seemed a little frustrated. I texted her back. 

Idk. Let me ask him. 

I switched to Steve’s profile. 

Wya?

The three dots popped up. A second later, a text came through.

What does that mean?

I rolled my eyes, smirking. Oh boy. 

It means where you at. 

Oh. 

Steve wasn’t the brightest when it came to things from after 1945. I can’t really blame him though. I still forget how to flip the camera on a phone on occasion. 

The dots popped up again. 

I’m at the smithsonian. 

K. Meet you there. 

Alright. 

Steve went to the smithsonian a lot these days. When he went, he was never there to look at the Captain America exhibits, he was too humble for that. But he always ended up at the same display every time. The one that talked about Bucky. Which was how I knew where to find him when I got there. 

“Best friends since childhood, Steven Rogers and Bucky Barnes were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield. Barnes is the only howling commando to give his life in service of his country.” The narrator’s voice echoed throughout the exhibit. 

I could see him from across the room. With his classic hat and sunglasses disguise on, Steve was staring right at the display. There wasn’t much, just a picture and a biography of Bucky. But it was as if he wanted to jump through it and tell him all about what his life was like. 

Maybe he would be able to. 

I walked over and stood next to him. 

“Tell me about him?”

Steve took a breath and said, “You look so much like him.” I’d heard this over a million times. Unfortunately, it was starting to make sense. 

“What was he like?” Part of me wanted to find out that he’d gotten married, had kids and I was his granddaughter. That the man in the mask was his kid, and that Bucky wasn’t back from the dead, even though all the exhibits said he’d never done any of that. But there was also a part of me that wanted him to be alive. Because Steve clearly missed him. Badly. 

“He was really...sarcastic,”

That was new. 

“Kinda like you. He pushed me to do things that I wasn’t comfortable with. Step out of my comfort zone. I looked up to him. Then one day, he found me in a back alley in a fight with some jerk. We were close ever since,”

“You miss him?”

“Everyday,” 

I took a shaky breath. If I told Steve now, he might believe me. I knew he would want to believe me, at least. I could tell him and all the stress would be off my shoulders. We could figure it out together. I opened my mouth to say something, and looked towards him. That turned out to be a mistake.

He looked so…...sad. I realized I couldn’t do that to him; It would break his heart. Steve was finally starting to settle into his life in this time. If I told him about Bucky, it would throw him back right into the 1940’s. Steve wouldn’t stop until he found him; and I didn’t even know if we could find him. So I made a decision. Not now. I’d do it later. 

Instead, I said, “I’m gonna go back to the house. I’ll take the subway, see you at home.”

“Bye Emma.”

“Bye Steve.” I walked out of the smithsonian and headed for the subway. People mingled around me. The girls and their fathers were the ones that stood out the most to me. They always were. It reminded me of when I lived in the convenience store; and the man in the mask. As I got on the subway, I was filled with guilt. I hadn’t told Steve about Bucky. What kind of a daughter did that make me? 

And what was I supposed to do now? 

~~~~~~~10 Minutes Later ~~~~~~~~

I walked up the steps to the apartment. Pulling out the keys, I thought I could hear music playing. It was a really old song; Steve listened to it a lot. 

Must be one of the neighbors. 

I unlocked the door and pushed it open. The second I walked in, I knew it wasn’t one of the neighbors. It was coming from inside. They were playing a song on the old record player. Which meant someone was here. 

I bent my knees so I was shorter than usual. Rolling my feet on the ground as I walked, I peeked through the bookshelf. Someone was sitting in the living room, right next to the old record player. They had the lamp off, so I couldn’t see who it was. 

My hand wrapped around a vase sitting on a side table. In one swift motion, I darted out from behind the bookshelf and lifted the vase above my head, preparing to hit the person. As I swung down, they hissed, 

“Rogers!” The vase narrowly missed their head. 

“Fury?!”

“Keep it down!” He whispered. I set the vase down on the coffee table. 

“What are you doing here?” I asked. He sighed, shifting in the chair. 

“I need to tell you and your father something. Wait till he gets back; I want to tell you two at the same time,” I rolled my eyes, and reached to turn the lamp on when the front door opened. Smirking, I said:

“Perfect timing.” I grabbed the chain and turned the lamp on. My jaw dropped. “Fury, your….” he shook his head, reaching for the lamp. He looked terrible, like he’d just gotten into an alley fight or something. His wrist was clearly broken, or sprained at least. The lamp flicked off. 

“Emma?” I turned to see Steve standing a few feet away, looking confused. “What are you doing?” I stepped aside and gestured to Fury. He looked even more confused. “Did you let him in?” 

“He was here when I got home,” I shrugged. Steve sighed. 

“I don’t remember giving you a key, Fury.” He moved to turn the lamp on. I stepped in front of him, shaking my head. He looked at me, then back at Fury. Steve squinted; I watched as he too figured out what had happened. 

Looking back to Fury, I could see he was holding a screen that said, “ears everywhere” He began typing again. 

“I’m sorry to have to do this, but my wife kicked me out, and I had no place else to crash.” This time the screen said, “SHIELD compromised” 

From behind me, Steve said, “Who else knows about your wife?” Now the screen said, “just us”

“Just…..my friends,” Fury said, getting to his feet. 

“Is that what we are?” Steve asked, frowning. 

“That’s up to you,” He replied. 

Three shots burst through the wall, going straight through Fury. He cried out in pain. Steve caught him as he fell and dragged him into the other room. My breath sped up. I ran into the room with them, glancing towards the window. Metal glinted in the distance. Fury grabbed Steve’s arm.

“Don’t...trust...anyone,” He coughed out. 

“Captain Rogers?” A woman’s voice echoed through the apartment. The old music played eerily in the background. “Captain. I’m Agent 13 of SHIE…..” The voices faded into the background as I drowned them out. 

Someone just shot Fury. 

I need to catch them. 

Why would they do that?

Focus, Emma. 

Where would they go?

Who was it?

Focus.

They were on the roof. Obviously they're not gonna stick around, and they won’t be coming back to the apartment; there was a reason they didn’t come in in the first place. So they’ll go the other way. Over the rooftops. But you can’t get far on them; I’ve tried. They're gonna need to get off the buildings at some point. 

I need to get to the ground.

I dashed out the door, taking the stairs two at a time. Someone might have called my name; I ignored them. Around and around I went, pushing myself a little too hard at points. Why did our apartment have to be on the third floor? I tried counting the stairs, but I got lost around 23. When I got down to the bottom, I shoved the door open into the street. Looking around, I couldn’t see anyone. It was late, which meant they were going to be easier to find, but harder to see. I ran to my right, in the direction of where the shooter had killed Fury from. Glancing down an alley as I passed it, what I saw took my breath away. 

There was someone in the alleyway. He had a metal arm, and was standing as if he’d just fallen from the rooftops. 

No. No, it’s not him. It can’t be. 

There was a gun in his hand. 

He started to walk towards me. I took a step backwards, putting my fists up. I watched as he threw a punch. 

Here’s the thing with my ability to fight. I never learned how. But I have gotten bored and spent time watching Nat spar; and gone in after her and practiced with the same equipment I saw her practice with. So I knew the basics of how to punch, kick, and fight. 

I dodged his punch, throwing one at his stomach. It felt like hitting a brick wall. I moved around him in a circle, shaking my hand out. Unfortunately I ended up backing myself into the alleyway. He hit me in the face, and I went down. Hard. 

Blood was dripping out of my nose. My head was spinning. I reached up and wiped my face, waiting for my vision to clear. I could hear ringing, footsteps, and an engine. Once I could see straight again, I realized the man was gone. He must’ve escaped on a motorcycle I didn’t see the first time. Questions filled my head, but one stuck out amongst the rest.

I was a witness. Why didn’t he kill me?

Unfortunately I knew the answer to that one. But it didn’t help ease my conscience. If he hadn’t killed me, then it had to be the man in the mask. 

Which meant the man in the mask had just shot Nick Fury. 

End of Chapter 4


	5. The Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma has to deal with the aftermath of Fury’s death. And the investigation of said death by shield.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here’s chapter 5 because I forgot to post 4 a week ago. I feel horrible, but I fully plan to stay on schedule from now on. Enjoy chapter 5!

End of Chapter 4

Chapter 5  
1:00 am  
2014  
Brooklyn Hospital

I couldn’t breath. 

The room kept closing in on me. 

My breath wouldn’t stay in my chest. 

I wasn’t sure if I was the one spinning, or if it was everyone else. 

This was too much. 

Too much information. 

Too many emotions. 

Too little time. 

“Tell me about the shooter.” Natasha’s voice. I latched onto the voices that followed, trying to use them to drag myself out of the emotions I seemed to be drowning in.

“He’s fast. Strong. Had a metal arm.” Steve’s voice. Oh god, Steve. 

Footsteps entered the room. I looked up, before the nausea took over and I put my head back down. It was Maria Hill. 

“Ballistics?” Natasha again. 

Maria was the one who answered. “Three slugs, no rifling. Completely untraceable.” 

“Soviet made.” Nat knew the gun type. Why was that?

Maria was just as shocked as I was. “Yeah,” she said. 

More voices rose. A loud beeping pounded into my skull. Shouting. I caught the word “Defibrillator.” I didn’t know what that was. 

I heard them use it; and it came to me. 

There was pounding noise, and more shouting.

They only use that when someone’s dying.

Fury was dying. 

Everyone there was losing their minds. There was screaming, doctors were rushing around. My heart was in my ears. I couldn’t do it anymore. 

I ran out of the room and out the front door. Down the street. I let my feet carry me away from everything. I ran from the hospital. I ran from Steve. I ran from the room with the dead body. I ran from the man in the mask. I ran from S.H.I.E.L.D. I ran from all my problems, hoping that if I ran far enough they would disappear. I ran until I got all the way to an old abandoned road. Then, I cried. 

I leaned against a wall, then slid down it. Tears flowed down my face onto the ground. There was a lump in my throat; I could barely breathe. I wanted to scream. Everything hurt. My stomach. My legs. My arms. My head. Most of all, my heart. I sobbed. My breath was shuddery. I tried to slow it down. I needed something to anchor to, anything but what was happening. 

Looking round, I tried to figure out where I was. There was a sign that said Eden Rd.   
Are you serious?

I couldn’t escape it. I was right back where I started. Literally. I sighed, getting to my feet. I didn’t want to wait here for a ride, so I started walking. I tried to clean up my face in case someone did come looking for me. This place really was abandoned. There was no one here. Obviously it had been like this for a while, everything was either overgrown or dead. 

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out. It was from Steve. 

Where did you go? This was going to be hard to explain. 

I took a run. I’m near Eden Rd. 

Why did you run all the way there?

Idk, I just started running. 

I’m going to come get you. Don’t go too far. 

I burned all my energy running, I’m not going anywhere. 

I’ll be right there. 

15 minutes later, I was sitting in the car with Steve on my way back to the hospital. He kept looking at me like he was going to say something, then looked away.   
Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Why do you keep looking at me weird?” He looked at me. 

“I’m worried about you Emma.” I pressed down on my pointer finger with my thumb. 

“Well I’m...fine. So you can stop worrying now.” He sighed. 

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” Steve said, gripping the wheel. “You’ve been looking at me weird too.”

“What?!” I laughed. 

“In the museum; you were looking at me funny.” I rolled my eyes. 

“It’s because you were gazing into Bukcy’s eyes! His picture’s eyes, anyway.” It was Steve’s turn to laugh. 

“Maybe a little.”

“I knew it! I knew you liked him!” I grinned. 

“You can stop shouting now. I still don’t see what the big deal is.” 

“Well, Nat and I had a bet. We wanted to see who could find you a date first. I think I just won, and she owes me 20 dollars,”

“Is that why she keeps trying to set me up on date’s?”

“Probably.” I continued looking out the window, watching the buildings go by when it hit me. We were almost to the hospital. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to look at the dead body that lay on the table. It would make everything that happened so much more real. 

“Steve?” 

“Yeah?”

“Is it okay if I just…..don’t go in the room with the body?”

“Yeah. Whatever you feel comfortable with,” He said. 

After we got there, I just sat in the car. I didn’t want to go back in the hospital. I didn’t want to go into the room. I wanted to go back home. Everything here felt off. Something was wrong about Fury’s death. I just had a feeling. That feeling got worse the morning after when Steve told me they needed us back at S.H.I.E.L.D. 

~~~~~~~~The day after~~~~~~~~

There were 2 cars outside the apartment. A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to drive each one, and another to sit in the car with us. I didn’t ask any questions. Not to their faces, at least. I could feel us driving down the smooth road, with the occasional bump. What was it Fury has told us? 

Ears everywhere. 

Shield compromised. 

Just us. 

No one could know who the man in the mask was. I couldn’t let anyone know he had shot Fury. I had to play it cool when I got interrogated. And I would be interrogated. So when we got to S.H.I.E.L.D, I was ready. 

Mostly. 

The sitting in the hallway waiting for something to happen made me very nervous. I didn’t have my book with me, so I just sat there for what felt like hours; until more people escorted me to someone’s office. 

He was an older man, around his 50s. When he saw me, he smiled and stuck his hand out. 

“Alexander Pierce.”

“Emma Rogers.” He smiled. 

“I know. I read your file.” I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. “Come on in.”

We walked into his office, which was decently large. There was a sitting area in the center and a desk off to the side. Windows provided an overview of the city. I sat on one of the couches in the center. Pierce stood behind the chair in front of me. 

“I assume you know why you’re here,” he said. I nodded. 

“Fury.” Saying his name still hurt. He walked around the chair and sat in it. 

“I’m going to need you to tell me everything you know, okay?” He spoke to me like a parent speaks to their child who’s just learning to talk. I didn’t like that. And I certainly wasn’t going to tell him everything. Only the things I was supposed to know. So I did. 

I told him how I got home and Fury was there. How he said his wife had kicked him out. How he stood up and got shot. How he said not to trust anyone. I left out the part where he showed us his phone with the words Shield compromised and ears everywhere; and the part where I ran after the man in the mask. I made up a story about how I ran outside, and tripped and got a bloody nose as a cover. He seemed pretty convinced. Now I just had to hold on until we were done. 

“When they were trying to save Fury you ran out, correct?” Pierce asked. 

Uh oh.

“Yes.”

“Why?” He pressed. 

“I don’t know, I had to do something other than just sit there.” 

That part was true; I wasn’t lying about that. 

“Apparently you ran all the way to an abandoned road. Eden road.”

“Yeah, I-”

“Where you grew up?”

He’d read my file. Of course he knew where I grew up. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t see what all this has to do with the investigation.”

“Because we think the man who raised you,” He paused, “might be responsible for Fury’s death. Do you have any information that might help us track him down? A name, maybe?” 

My mind was screaming. 

A metal arm. 

A mask. 

Bucky. 

Abandoned store. 

Eden Road. 

“No. I never saw him. He came and left during the night. I’m sorry; I wish I could do more.” I lied. I lied right to his face. Pierce sat back in the chair, sighing. 

A woman walked in and handed him a file. He flipped through it, then said,

“I’ll be right back. I have to take care of something.” He stood up and walked out of the room. As he walked out, I heard something. It was almost impossible to hear. Most people would have missed it. 

But I wasn’t most people. 

Someone had locked the door. 

Someone wanted me locked in here. They wanted me to stay in one place. Someone else was probably going to come in and take me somewhere else. They had distracted Pierce so they could get to me, whoever ‘they’ was. That wasn’t happening. I got up. Casual. I walked over to the window and pretended to look out over the city. Really I was contemplating what to do with the locked door. 

The room has only one exit. The door, which was locked and probably guarded. Someone was going to be here soon, so I had to move fast. I couldn’t crawl through the vent because they were way too small. So my only other option was the window I was looking out. I thought of the chair. Was I strong enough to pick it up? Yes. Probably. 

I strolled back over to the chair Pierce had sat in. Running my hand over it, I tried to look as normal as possible. 

In one movement, I walked around the chair and grabbed the arms. After I picked it up, I charged towards the window. 

Thump

The chair bounced against the window. This was going to be harder than I thought. 

Thump

The glass cracked a little bit. I lifted the chair above my head and hurled it towards the window. 

Crash!

The glass now had a large hole in it. I stuck my head out. The wind whipped my hair around. Breathing heavy, I stepped out onto a ledge. I scooted my feet towards the right, where a large scaffolding went up a few floors and down a good 10 floors. That would get me far enough. Scooching my way over to the structure, I could hear shouting. People were searching the room. I scooted faster, making it to a large beam. I climbed behind it just as someone poked their head out the large hole in the glass. After a second, I heard a woman shout “clear!” 

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Now I just had to get to the ground without going there too fast and becoming a pancake. 

I slid my right foot towards another beam. My shoe just barely made it all the way on. When I reached for the beam above it, my fingers were nowhere near it. I was way more than an inch short of being able to reach it. Frustrated, I reached again.

My right foot slid forwards off the beam. I flew back to the first beam and secured my footing on that one instead. If I could get to the beam in front of me, I could get into the building and take the stairs to the garage. From there I could steal a car or something, and get out. But I couldn’t get to the beam. I made the mistake of looking down. 

My stomach dropped. I must have been more than a hundred feet in the air. I could fall. I was going to fall. I wasn’t going to make the jump if I tried. I would miss and fall and hit the ground and die. Or I would stay here and someone was going to find me and shoot me. Or they would do something worse. Steve would have to find the man in the mask and they’d...

Steve and the man in the mask. 

Suddenly I remembered why I was still fighting. I was fighting for Fury. For Nat. For Steve. For the man in the mask. 

No. Not the man in the mask. 

Dad.

My Dad.

I was fighting for my dad.

I stuck my foot back across the beam. I reached for the beam above once more; still unable to hold onto it. So I did what I needed too, to reach my goal. 

I threw myself towards the beam in front of me. Both feet landed on solid metal. My hands finally wrapped around the pole I had been reaching for. I smiled, even laughed a little. I climbed over onto a window sill and pulled the window open. The inside was empty. Perfect. I crawled in. Dusting myself off, I looked around. The room was completely abandoned. I went for the door and pushed it open. The trick to blending in was to look like you belonged. I walked down the hallway towards the stairs, trying to look like I belonged. It worked. 

10 minutes later I was plugging the keys into a S.H.I.E.L.D. car and starting it up. I pressed my foot to the gas and sped out of the garage. 

Not a moment after I’d made my escape, a small aircraft began to hover above a road next to me. I squinted, and saw a man in blue and white on a motorcycle.

A voice spoke from the plane. “Stand down, Captain Rogers. Repeat, stand down.” 

“Hey Steve,” I muttered to myself. He hurled his shield at the plane, and slammed on the brakes. The force of it hurled him onto the falling plane. Steve pulled the shield out and jumped back off the plane. I sped up and pulled around in front of him, throwing the car door open. 

“Emma?”

“Get in.” He crawled in and put the shield in front of his legs. I slammed on the gas and we sped off into civilian traffic. 

End of Chapter 5


	6. The Flash Drive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Steve are now officially on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D. They head for t he local mall and meet up with a close friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.... I think I’ve kinda thrown my schedule in the garbage. I’ll hopefully be limiting the space between posts to 2 weeks. I’m really enjoying doing this and I hope everyone else enjoys it just as much as I do. So, without further ado, enjoy!

Chapter 6  
10:49 am  
2014  
Brooklyn, Main Rd.

“Who taught you how to drive?” 

“Nat.” He sighed, looking frustrated. I scoffed. “Well it came in handy, didn’t it!” He was quiet. This was not how I wanted this to go. 

“So what happened to you?” I asked. 

“The S.T.R.I.K.E. team attacked me in the elevator. You?” 

“Wow. Your story makes mine sound lame; I just got locked in Pierce’s office. So where are we going?” 

“The hospital.” 

“Why do we need to go back there?!” 

“I left something there.” 

“What was it that you left there?” 

“It was a flash drive from Fury, it has information that could help us solve this.” 

“What is ‘this’ that we’re solving?” He didn’t seem to have an answer for that one. Or didn’t want to tell me if he did. 

When we got there, I promptly decided I wasn’t going in. Steve grabbed the S.H.I.E.L.D. issued disguises out of the front compartment and left for the drive. I opened the compartment to see if there was anything in there, just out of curiosity. There was an extra hoodie, some sneakers, a t-shirt, and some under-garments. Not that I needed any of it; I was already wearing a red long sleeve shirt and a jacket. I tucked my hands into my pockets and realized I still had my S.H.I.E.L.D. phone. That wasn’t good. 

I gave it some thought and decided to ditch it here instead of letting S.H.I.E.L.D. track track us. Best not to take any chances. I pulled my hood over my face and dumped the thing in the garbage outside, then got back into the car, backseat this time to avoid driving again. Just because I could drive didn’t mean I was good at it. 

After a while, I spotted Steve coming out of the hospital. He had his hand balled up in his sweatshirt pocket, probably clutching the flash drive. Nat was with him. She opened up the passenger door, glancing around. 

“We gotta ditch the car, c’mon.” I hopped out and started walking away from the S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle. I pulled my hood down over my head. 

“So is anyone going to explain what’s going on?” The two shared a look. Still walking, Steve turned to me and said, 

“We’re heading for the mall, we need to find out what’s on that drive.” Again with the drive. I decided not to ask questions. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the answer, and if I did Steve probably would’t tell me. We headed towards the local mall, keeping a low profile and a lookout for S.H.I.E.L.D. They would have found the car and the phone by now. Probably sent the S.T.R.I.K.E. team to find us. Which meant our time was limited. I’d seen them at work; they were swift and efficient. They got the job done and tied up all the loose ends. Whatever was on the drive better be worth it. 

I glanced up to see we were at the entrance to the mall. 

“Emma.” I turned towards Steve. 

“Yeah?”

“Stay here. You’re safer outside,” 

“But-”

“Emma. Please.” I didn’t say anything. I’d already gotten much closer to S.T.R.I.K.E. then I wanted to. After a bit of consideration, I closed my jaw and nodded. They both walked into the store, Nat mumbling something to Steve. 

I sighed and leaned against the wall, letting my hood fall over my face. I probably looked super suspicious. If the S.T.R.I.K.E. team came I would be dead meat. Maybe if they did come I could warn Nat and Steve, and we’d have enough time to get away. As long as they didn’t follow us. And also weren’t looking for me. Or at me. 

Oh, who am I kidding?

I threw a chair out the window; they were definitely going to be looking for me. 

Footsteps echoed all around me. I glanced up just to be safe. Cars were flying down the street. One caught my eye. It was heading towards me, about to park on the side of the road. I started walking into the mall, trying not to run as fast as I could. The car had S.H.I.E.L.D. written on the side. That meant S.T.R.I.K.E. was here. Our time was up. 

Nat and Steve had conveniently neglected to tell me where exactly they were going, which made it very hard for me to find them. I wanted to give them a heads-up about the bad guy squad that was about to attack them. I looked all around the store, not slowing my fast walk. 

They aren’t going to go in any fashion stores, so I can rule all those out. They’re here with a flash drive. Wait, are they meeting someone? Maybe a fashion store isn’t so crazy. 

I started riding up an escalator. 

But if they’re trying to get info out of the drive, they’d head for something tech; and there aren't very many people we can trust right now. So somewhere with computers. 

I spotted a computer store on my right and started veering towards it. A quick glance over my shoulder informed me that I wasn’t being followed, but I couldn’t be sure. When I looked forwards again, I noticed two S.T.R.I.K.E. agents heading right for me. I panicked. 

Breath Emma. 

I took a breath and started thinking. 

I can’t lead them into the store; that would be bad. But I do need to find Steve and Nat to let them know. 

They were getting closer. 

Don’t cross in front of them. I’ll go between them and the store. They won’t engage me in a crowded area. Will they? 

Turns out the answer to that was yes, they would. Two agents closed in around me, forcing me to back into a wall. They were probably going to attack me. I was painfully reminded of two nights ago when I got my butt kicked by the man in the mask. When I fought him, my size was a huge disadvantage. But now, it was going to come in handy. 

I took off in a sprint. So did the agents. Three pairs of feet pounded through the mall. I headed straight for a water fountain and circled around it. An agent had already caught up and was waiting for me on the other side. I yelped and changed directions, running back around. The other agent was there as well. I put my fists up, trying to catch my breath. This was not going to end well. 

Before I could do anything, someone slammed into the agent on my left. The mystery person swung their legs around the agent's neck and dragged her onto the ground. I caught a quick glimpse of the person's face. 

“Nat?!” She flipped the agent onto her back, knocking her out. Natasha turned to deal with the six other agents heading for us. I tried to go with her, but someone called my name. 

“Emma!” Steve was currently engaged with the agent from the right side. “Get to an exit! Find a car; I’ll meet you there,” 

“I thought you didn’t like me driving?” I shouted back. He gave me an annoyed look, kneeing the man in the gut. 

“Just go!”

I tore out of the building and into the parking lot, not wanting to spend any longer in there. My eyes locked onto a car; it was a navy blue pickup truck. I felt guilty as I reached into the cracked window and unlocked the door. Reaching for the keys as I sat down, I looked around the car. It had two rows. Three seats in the back, two in front. The engine revved. I still felt guilty. Whatever happened today, I was planning on returning this car. 

Nat and Steve came running out of the mall. They were being followed by the three remaining S.T.R.I.K.E. agents. One of them had a nasty looking black eye. 

I shoved open the car door. Steve threw himself into the passenger seat, followed by Nat. I slammed the gas as hard as I could and we sped away from the mall. Gunshots rang out in the background, peppering the back of the car. 

“I told you this would come in handy!” I shouted to Steve, smiling. He rolled his eyes. 

“Take a right here!” I yanked on the wheel. He turned to Nat, who had climbed into the back seat. “You didn’t tell me you taught her how to drive,” She shrugged. 

“I figured she would need it. And she did,” She looked towards me. “Uh, you don’t need to grab the wheel so hard,” 

I looked down and realized she was telling the truth. My fingertips were white and pale, and very sweaty. I loosened my grip just a little, but not too much. I did not feel like swerving off the road. That would definitely ruin the awesome feeling I was getting from making another great escape. 

“Emma, pull in here. I’ll take the wheel,” I gladly pulled into an empty alleyway and climbed into the back seat. Nat moved up into the front passenger seat. Once again, we drove away. And it was right then that the seriousness of this whole thing sank in. 

Fury was dead. We were on the run from an organization that was supposed to be on our side. I was the daughter of a murderer. I didn’t believe that part very much, or maybe I didn’t want to. The man in the mask was also Bucky, Steve’s friend. I still hadn’t told him, and there was a part of me that didn’t want to. Telling him everything would make it much more real. I wasn’t ready for that. I wasn’t ready for any of this. And yet, it was happening. So I was going to do the one thing I always do. 

Survive. 

End of Chapter 6


	7. Update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Update!

Hello! It's been forever since I got on here, but I do plan to start updating soon! Sorry for the wait!


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